I stopped in the jagged doorway, which no longer glowed, and shot him a glance. “In and out. In and out. I know, buddy.”

He smirked, watching me as I flew once more, picking up Eva and Varga next. My altitude dropped significantly, Eva’s boots slightly brushing across the tiles. I almost crashed with them in the third room, but Herakles and Amelia were quick to intervene and smooth out my landing.

Breathing heavily, I worried I might not be able to get Eira, Lumi, and Taeral out, as well. Every joint in my body felt as though it had been made of lead. My legs weighed a ton. My wings literally hurt whenever I flapped them, as if I’d sprained them, somehow. I’d never experienced this kind of exhaustion before, and I had no idea how to cope with it.

My whole life, short as it was, I’d been nearly invincible, tireless and brimming with energy. Yet now, I was merely a small percentage of what I had always been. Barely a flicker of the real Raphael.

“Getting tired?” the Soul Crusher asked.

“Not tired enough to not punch your lights out when I see you,” I replied.

Amelia massaged my shoulders, smiling gently. “You’ve got this. I know you do.”

“Your trust in me is propelling, to say the least,” I said to her, caressing her cheeks.

Taeral cleared his throat from the other room. “Still here, in case you were thinking of getting us out, as well,” he called out, making me chuckle.

I walked back to the doorway, wondering if I had enough strength to get them all out. “What is it, Tae? Not feeling up to a few more booby traps?” I asked, feigning amusement. Deep down, I was worried. There was no way I could pull off two flights with the three of them.

I’d have to finish strong, so to speak, and carry Taeral, Eira, and Lumi at once—and even that was risky as hell, given what I’d just experienced with Eva and Varga. Nevertheless, it was our only option. Well, that or the pressure plate game. But I was fond of these three. They didn’t deserve what Death had bestowed upon them, and they certainly didn’t like being privileged like this. I couldn’t treat them differently just because of that.

Frankly, I couldn’t bear the thought of any one of them suffering, in any way.

“Nah, I can do this,” I whispered to myself.

I took a deep breath and managed a shaky flight back to Taeral, Eira, and Lumi. Taeral was quick to stop me from falling over, giving me a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

“I’m made of rocks and lead and whatever else is used to keep something on the bottom of the deepest ocean,” I replied dryly. “But we have to try. I’m taking the three of you now. I won’t be able to do another round. I… I just can’t.”

Taeral frowned, thinking about it for a moment. He glanced at Eira. “You should be in the middle, since you’re the lightest.”

“Good point,” I said, and put my arms out.

Lumi and Taeral positioned themselves at my sides, smiling awkwardly as I put my arms around them, tightening my grip. Eira slipped her arms around my waist, trembling slightly. “I don’t know what else to do to make it easier on you,” she said apologetically.

“Put your legs up, too,” I said.

Herakles laughed so hard, it echoed across the room. My face burned, but satisfaction came quickly when I heard Amelia slap him. “You’re such a child!” she berated him.

Eira gave me a tense nod as she let go, then hopped and wrapped her legs around my waist, this time, and her arms around my neck. Taeral sighed, and I took off, instantly alarmed by how difficult this was. I could barely keep us a couple of feet above the floor.

My wings hurt, each flap so torturous that it felt as though they’d be ripped from my back. I kept going, grunting and struggling to breathe evenly. I managed to get us closer to the door, but I could feel us dropping lower and lower.

“Careful,” Taeral managed, and I heard a boot scrape against the tiles.

“Argh…” I croaked, just as we reached the doorway.

Lumi squealed and cursed. We all heard the click. I crashed into the next room, with the three of them in tow. I landed on my belly, nearly crushing Eira beneath me. Taeral grunted and pushed me off her, as my wings withdrew achingly under my shoulder blades.

Arrows shot through the second room, but none made it in here. I reveled in the sound of them falling flatly across the floor. Flat on my back, I stared at the ceiling for a while. The others talked around me, but I couldn’t focus. Exhaustion set in, every muscle in my body throbbing in agony. I doubted I’d be able to move anytime soon.

But we’d made it. Amelia appeared in my view, the ceiling light glowing behind her. She smiled, her blue eyes filled with love, and I was the sole recipient of all that beauty. I must’ve smiled, too, as she leaned down and kissed me.

“You were amazing,” she whispered in my ear. My limbs turned to mush, the muscle fever finally subsiding as I felt Eirexis’s touch on my neck.

It couldn’t stop the freezing particles from slowing me down, but it could still cure my inflamed and worn-out muscles.

Maybe I was amazing... But what really made me soar was the thought that I’d made her happy. I could spend an entire lifetime doing this. Making her happy. Causing those gorgeous smiles on her face. This… This was something worth fighting for.

Taeral

This was the third room we had to go through, and I was beginning to think we’d never get out of this thing in time to actually complete Death’s mission. Well, it was our mission, too, since we were saving our worlds. The fate of our worlds hung in the balance, and we were still struggling through the Soul Crusher’s puzzles.

Worst of all, Raphael was exhausted after what he’d just pulled to get us out of the second room. The rest of the crew was mentally and physically worn out, as well—there was only so much we could replenish through our healing methods, Eirexis included. If the brain was tired, it quickly translated into the body’s functions, as well, and those freezing particles that had slowed us down weren’t helping.

“What’s this one about?” Herakles asked, raising his voice. The question wasn’t aimed at us.

“Why, it’s the same as before. Find your way out,” the Soul Crusher replied.

“Helpful as always,” Raphael muttered, still on his back, resting, with Amelia by his side. “I’m going to sleep for an entire century when this is over.”

“Provided we save our worlds first; otherwise, you’ll be sleeping forever,” Lumi said. She shook her arms and legs, as if warming up for a gym session. “I think—emphasis on ‘think’—that those freezing particles are wearing off.”

Riza nodded, moving her arms and testing the theory. “You might be right. I’m not feeling as sluggish as before.”

“It’s probably because we’re out of the room, thus no longer within the particles’ reach,” Eva replied. She touched Varga’s shoulder, giving him a soft smile. “How are you holding up?”

“Oh, absolutely peachy. Thrilled to have another puzzle room to waste valuable time in.”

Nethissis chuckled bitterly. “You heard the old Reaper. Time flows slightly differently in here.”

“Hey, who are you calling old?” the Soul Crusher moaned. “Also, time flows slightly differently, sure, but it doesn’t give you forever to sort this out, and, by the stars, you people are taking forever.”

I let a deep sigh out. With it, a lot of tension seemed to dissolve, too. As if it had been piling up in the pit of my stomach, concentrating and contracting to the point where it had become difficult to breathe. One long exhale, and poof. It was gone. It didn’t improve our situation in any way, obviously, but it did help clear my head a little, and I analyzed this room carefully.

It wasn’t as big as the previous one, but its hexagonal shape was intriguing. The walls were smooth and shiny, and light beams were embedded into the ceiling. No doors or levers were visible. No tiles on the floor—just a long arrow pointing to one of the walls. It had been painted on the polished stone.

“I don’t think that arrow is randomly placed here, like this,” I said, my voice low.

The Soul Crusher laughed. “Found the genius in your crew. Sorry, Amelia.”

“Up yours,” Amelia shot back. Raphael pulled himself up and off the floor. She stayed by his side, watching him carefully, making sure he was okay.

Eira walked up to me, and a muted joy expanded in my chest. I’d been so stressed out over this puzzle, so desperate to keep the others safe, that I’d nearly forgotten how good she made me feel whenever we were close. “There might be something about that wall,” she said to me. “Maybe a hidden door?”

“I like where this is going,” the Soul Crusher cut in. “Have you two considered courtship? There’s definitely chemistry.”

“For the love of all that’s good and holy in this world, will you just shut the hell up?!” Eira snapped, pinching the narrow bridge of her nose. “Unless you’ve got something useful to say, just leave us be.”